TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County Animal Control is investigating after a driver dumped a dog in the parking lot of a plastic surgeon's office in Tampa.
The incident happened around 7:45 a.m. on Feb. 7.
Dr. Geoffrey Kwitko said he received a notification on his phone from his Blink camera.
His office is located on MacDill Avenue and Azeele Street in Tampa.
"By the time I walked out, the car had been gone. The dog was gone, but my secretary, Janine, was pulling up and saw the dog walking down MacDill, so we locked up the building and went after the dog," said Dr. Kwitko.
Dr. Kwitko said the dog was located about a block away on MacDill Avenue and Platt Street. He said his secretary and a veterinarian from Four Paws Veterinary Hospital located the 2-year-old dog and took her to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
"I'm shocked that somebody would do this to a dog. If you don’t want the dog, drive it to the humane society, drive it to a shelter, don’t just leave the dog out on a busy street where the dog could be hurt," said Dr. Kwitko.
Regan Blessinger is a marketing and content manager for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. She said the 2-year-old pit bull mix should be available for adoption this week. Officials renamed her Goldie since she has pretty eyes.
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"We don't know exactly why she was dumped. We can presume she has definitely has had litters of babies, multiple litters of babies, puppies, so maybe she was being used for breeding and can't breed anymore, of course, that's just an assumption. We don't actually know, but she's so sweet," said Blessinger.
Blessinger said the shelter had seen an increase in owner surrenders and people illegally abandoning their animals.
"We're not seeing people surrendering their pets for silly reasons. People are surrendering for very real reasons. They're homeless or facing eviction or very real things, and we understand that, but we're just asking that you make some plans yourself as well and use our resources," said Blessinger.
According to a Hillsborough County Animal Control report, the driver who dumped the dog was driving a white Mercedes. The vehicle is missing a back bumper, and the cameras did not capture a license plate.
Animal control officials said abandoning an animal is a first-degree misdemeanor. It is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and possible prison time.
"They have feelings. They’re scared. They get hungry. These are beings just like we are and for some reason, there are some people that think they can treat these beautiful animals like objects just to disregard whenever they feel like it. No, if you’re going to have a dog, they’re family," said Dr. Kwitko.
